Workshop on the Competition Development Standard in Veliky Novgorod
The workshop focus was on implementing the Standard in the regions in 2016-2017 and the best regional practices
The event took place on 19 September 2017 at an International Event – the “Competition Week in Russia”.
Andrey Nikitin, the Governor of the Novgorod Region welcomed the participants. He pointed out: “Competition is a decisive factor for many sensitive sectors: housing-and-utility, passenger transportation, heat supply, electric power industry. Only through competition it is possible to restrain tariffs, find optimal economic models and counter monopolistic activities”. Andrey Nikitin added that “The Competition Standard was born not as a result of great support to it; rather it pushed through barriers and restrictions. Thus, I am confident that the Standard and the approach, that developed naturally, give the answers to the questions facing the regions and municipalities, it has a great future”.
Deputy Head of FAS Sergey Puzyrevsky also said welcoming remarks to the workshop at Veliky Novgorod and emphasized that the having the event in this city is very symbolic: “Novgorod is known as the birth of Russian democracy, and democracy and competition are closely connected”.
He said that FAS analyzed the state of competition annually and forwards a report to the Government on the most frequent violations and the positive trends. The 2017 Report will be already the 11th.
Among the main issues, Deputy Head of FAS named increased state participation in the economy, the growth of the number of unitary enterprises, the low share of small business and tariff regulation in the industries.
He emphasized the importance of increasing the role of small business in public procurement, and decreasing the number of antimonopoly violations in general.
Sergey Puzyrevsky reminded that the regional authorities are evaluated, in particular, in terms of the state of competition in a region and recommended the attendees to adopt the best practices of other subjects.
Head of FAS Fiscal Control Department Vladimir Mishelovin said that attendees included representatives of the Ministry for Economic Development, the Strategic Initiatives Agency, the Analytical Centre at the Government of the Russian Federation, business, the authorities and municipalities.
Head of the Foreign Economic Activity Department, at the Analytical Centre at the Government of the Russian Federation, Ksenia Sukhorukova, outlined the general Standard’s results. St Petersburg, Pskov and Novgorod are among the regions demonstrated the best positive trends in 2017.
Representatives of the Novgorod, Krasnodar, Omsk, Pskov, Tomsk, Voronezh regions, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District and the Republic of Bashkiria presented the results of implementing the Competition Development Standard.
Head of the Economic Development Department of the Novgorod region, Evgeny Bogdanov, reported on the first results of the Standard in the Novgorod regions. The efforts on implementing the Standard have been undertaken on 11 markets since 2016. Vladimir Mishelovin added that the first experience of the region is successful since it improved its ranking twofold. Head of FAS Fiscal Control Department emphasized the big potential of the Novgorod region and recommended his Novgorod colleagues not to be ready to rest and continue actively develop competition in the region.
Reference:
- “The Competition Development Standard in the subjects of the Russian Federation” is drafted to execute Clause 2 Section III of the Action Plan (the “Road Map”) for “Developing Competition and Improving the Antimonopoly Policy”, approved by No. 2579-r Government Order of 28 December. The new “Standard for Developing Competition in the subjects of the Russian Federation” approved by No. 1738-r Government Order of 05.09.2015.
- A new data on “The Competition Development Standard” came up in September 2017.
